Justin Bibb Wins Cleveland Mayoral Election in Blowout

By Tadi Abedje Published: November 1, 2021

Justin Bibb Wins Cleveland Mayoral Election in Blowout

In Summary

The 34-year-old defeated Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley in a dominating fashion to replace Frank G. Jackson as mayor.

UPDATE: Nov. 2, 2021 10:41 p.m. EST

After shaking up the Cleveland political establishment in the primary, nonprofit executive Justin Bibb has won the Cleveland mayoral election, according to Cleveland.com.

He defeated Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley, who was seen as the more experienced candidate, in a blowout. Bibb will replace Frank G. Jackson, who announced that he wouldn’t seek reelection as the city’s 58th mayor.

According to Cleveland.com, the 34-year-old will be the second youngest mayor in the history of Cleveland.

With Election Day approaching on November 2, Cleveland, Ohio, will have its mayoral race.

It will be an interesting one because it will be a nonpartisan election. It features two candidates, Justin Bibb and Kevin Kelley, who are both Democrats and advanced to the general election after finishing as the top two candidates from its primary election.

For the first time since 2001, Cleveland’s mayoral election will not have an incumbent on the ballot. This is because Democratic Mayor Frank G. Jackson announced in May of this year that he won’t run for reelection, which would be his fifth term in office.

Justin Bibb is a chief strategy officer at Urbanova, which is a private-public partnership that focuses on creating equitable solutions for midsize cities. According to his LinkedIn profile, he worked for companies such as KeyBank, Gallup and Morris Strategy Group. Bibb got endorsements from Our Revolution Ohio, which endorses the policies of Sen. Bernie Sanders. He also got endorsements from two former mayors: Jane Campbell and Michael White.

Bibb said this about his campaign, “now is the time for bold, new, dynamic, visionary leadership and not the failed politics and policies of the past.”

On the other hand, Kevin Kelley is seen as the more seasoned candidate as he has been on the Cleveland City Council since 2005 and has served as president since 2013. According to his Cleveland City Council profile, he has experience in law and social work. Additionally, Kelley got an endorsement from Mayor Jackson, whom he worked with for over two decades.

He believes that his experience on the council makes him qualified to be Cleveland’s next mayor.

“Every family and every person must count, no matter where they live, their race, creed, color, or orientation,” Kelley said on his website. “My dream for the future of Cleveland is one in which no neighborhood or person is left behind. We will all succeed, together.”